June 23, 2010 (9:55 p.m.)  - California Highway Patrol announced shortly after 9:30 p.m. that it would reopen Highway 54, which was closed this evening due to a brush fire near Plaza Bonita and I-805.

The fire started in the Sweetwater River bed near a homeless encampment. According to some reports, explosions were hurt that may have been from propane tanks.  No structures were lost.

Nearly 5,000 students on waiting lists due to 50% cutback in classes;
veterans on G.I. bill and students on financial aid risk losing funds

East County News Service

June 21, 2010 (El Cajon) – Higher education funding cuts due to the California state budget crisis have forced Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District to severely reduce summer course sections, despite growing demands for classes from students seeking to retrain for new careers and complete general education requirements to transfer to four-year universities and colleges.

Despite efforts to keep budget cuts from harming students, the colleges have been forced to slash summer offerings by 50%.

June 23, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The 10th annual Summer Healthcare Saturday, East County’s largest free health fair, held  June 19th at Grossmont Center, was by far the most successful ever, according to Mike Cully, president/CEO of the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.  The event was organized by the Chamber and co-sponsored by Grossmont Healthcare District, Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Alvarado Hospital and Grossmont Center.

Economy, bank bailout, war, and oil spill among concerns discussed

By Miriam Raftery
 

June 22, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) – Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) had a breakfast meeting with members of the Rancho San Diego-Jamul Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors yesterday morning at the Press Box Sports Bar & Restaurant to discuss the business climate and provide an update from Washington D.C. for Chamber leaders.

Local tragedy on Father's Day serves as grim reminder of need for pool safety

East County News Service

June 22, 2010 (San Diego's East County) - As the Father's Day drowning of an East County child tragically illustrates, pool safety is an important matter for all pool owners and parents to follow. In California, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in toddlers ages one to four. 

George e. Lucia Sr., Valley Center Fire Prevention District Captain/Fire Marshal, offersthis advice to prevent child drownings, including pool safety and rescue tips:

Tragedy highlights importance of pool safety; drowning is second leading cause of death for children under age 14

June 21, 2010 (San Diego) – A one-acre brush fire the 3900 block of Federal Boulevard near Highway 94 in San Diego has now been extinguished, San Diego Fire reports. The blaze caused evacuation of apartments along a ridge top late this afternoon, but was swiftly doused with no damage to structures.

By Brian Lafferty

June 19, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Jonah Hex is one of those movies that had me sitting in the dark both literally and figuratively. I had barely any idea what was going on except Jonah Hex’s (Josh Brolin) family being torched by Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), Jonah seeking revenge, and Turnbull’s attempted terrorist plot on Washington D.C.

By East County News Service

June 18, 2010 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon's 15th Annual Concerts on the Green begins Friday, June 25 with the Legends, who will perform their oldies music from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in downtown El Cajon. Ed Waymire returns as master of ceremonies.  

The temporary location for Concerts on the Green is the outdoor amphitheater at the East County Performing Arts Center pending completion of the renovation of Prescott Promenade.

June 20, 2010 (Escondido) – Lake Wohlford Road is closed at Valley Center and Oak Vale, where residents are being evacuated due to a brush fire that began in a canyon shortly after noon today, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Bill to limit fee increase to be heard Monday in Legislature

By Miriam Raftery

June 18, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The California State University Board of Trustees today voted to raise CSU fees by 5% for undergraduates and graduate students and by 10% for doctoral education students. For full-time undergraduates, that amounts to a $204 annual increase—bringing total CSU fees to $4,230 starting in fall 2010.

Gavin Newsom, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, called the hikes “unacceptable” and noted that CSU has raised fees seven times in eight years—including a 32% hike last year alone.

“That cost is pricing very many would-be students out of the chances of getting a college education,” said Pat Washington, an instructor at San Diego State University and a leader with California Communities Unitied Institute.

June 18, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) –  In the hotly contested Governor's race, last week Republican Meg Whitman refused to debate Democrat Jerry Brown, challenging Brown to release a plan to improve California's economy. Now Brown, former Governor and current Attorney General, has responded by releasing a detailed eight-point action plan for investment in renewable energy technology and creation of over half a million green jobs--a plan  he calls the "key to our economic future."  See Brown's detailed plan here or scroll down for highlights. 

Whitman's economic plan relies on tax cuts, tax incentives and spending cuts which she contends will boost the economy.  She has also called for repeal of AB 32--a step that leaders at Clean Tech San Diego (a nonprofit formed by prominent San Diego business leaders to make our region a world leader in green-tech industries) say would cripple the emerging green and clean-tech industries in California.

June 18, 2010 (San Diego) – Two-year-old Jovani Louangxaysongxham was killed this morning after running out in front of a trash truck, the San Diego Coroner's office confirms.  The child’s mother was assisting an older sibling into a vehicle when the two-year-old spotted his father across the street from the family’s home at 1100 South 43rd Street and ran into the roadway. He was struck by an Allied Waste Service trash truck and became trapped beneath the vehicle.

By Rachel Mahoney